Report points to schools’ debt

Press, 18 April 1981, Page 3

Report points to schools’ debt

An interim report of 'the Canterbury Education board shows that as many as 60 per cent of local primary and intermediate schools could be in debt. The board’s annual audit of school committee accounts has so far extended to 260 of the region’s. 319 schools. Of these, 154 .have debit balances, to a total of $66,458, .in their main accounts.

The schools’ main, or No. 1, accounts are for .the Government grant j which finances the normal funning of. the school, A > working party review into the increasing costs incurred by schools because of modern teaching methods is now before the Minister of Education (Mr Wellington). The chairman ’ of: the board’s finance committee, Mrs R. J. Cowell, said that the Minister appeared to be delaying consideration of implementing the review’s recommendations until after the Budget. “With .today’s changing curricula and methods' it is obviously necessary that such a. report

• be implemented at the earliest time,” she said. The board’s chairman, Mr D. L.-Waghorn, said that at least 17 schools were carrying deficits of- more than $lOO9. on one year’s operation,■ often'- because they were using equipment that was “not basic,’-’ such as photocopying machines. •Schools were “not permitted” to go’into overdraft, the general manager, Mr. D. Wilson. told the meeting. On an earlier occasion,' on a “once only” basis, the board had agreed to liquidate the debit balances, but the responsibility today-lay with the school committees.* Schools faced with deficits have had to find money from their No. 2 account, which meant raising extra funds themselves. Concern about the Government’s delay in implementing the working party’s reSort will be passed on to the r ew Zealand ‘ Education Boards’ Association. The Press Association reports that funds- -raised by galas and similar ventures are a “welcome and appreciated” contribution to the run-

ning of-schools, according to' •the Minister - of Education (Mr Wellington) in Masterton on Saturday. < “P.T.A. and other parent groups have always ’contri-' .bated to school funds. I would say that parental contributions, through fund-rais-,ing ventures, galas, and the like, are welcome and appreciated and have always been part.of the education landscape,” Mr Wellington said, after visiting several secondary schools in Masterton. Mr Wellington said the increase in education spending last year from $1047 million in 1979 to $1303 million was one of the biggest percentage increases during the 19705.

“Too many people are of the view that there has been a reduction in education spending, but these figures are self-evident.”

Mr Wellington said that education was the third largest spender of Government money, aftes health and social welfare.

He could not say, however, what the future held in terms of anything that might be given in- this year’s Budget. 1